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Bajalia jewerly

magalene

05.13.15 10:18 PM

Hello,

Can someone answer the question if Bajalia lapis is color enhanced? I just received the 202 587, pear shaped pendant and it is very shiny compared to the cuff I just received also # anteega cuff 289 448. I listened to the little video online and they say it is all natural the way it comes out of the mine. All they do is polish it and how proud they are of their lapis. I searched item number 202 113 Fila cuff bracelet and it says enhanced on the HSN website just like the 202 587 pear shaped pendant.

I don’t want enhanced so can someone clarify this for me please. I was gonna call customer service, but the sale rep would just read what is written in the description and that won’t help get to the bottom of the issue.

I’m not a professional just someone that believes if a piece of lapis is genuine solid lapis it is not enhanced.

Also so disappointed because my pear shaped lapis necklace looks like it is cracked all the way across the bottom.

Have only purchased two necklaces/earrings from this line and that was several years ago. I do like them but I thought they were expensive back then. I don’t wear them often and only during the summer…they aren’t in my go to frequently category. I appreciate the charity aspect but don’t wear them enough to justify buying more.

SocialButterfly

05.16.15 11:55 AM

Well, Bajalia has some unique designs that I like. But the whole idea of this line being charitable is raising more questions that it provides answers. Soursing, labor, enhancements, materials, etc. It is definitely not an investment, moneywise. It is a cool exotic look. Buy it if you like it. It does not matter what it is made of. I collect lucite jewelry that costs a lot of $$$$ and pray that HSN will never carry my favorite line. Some things should stay limited and not be mass-produced. I was sorely disappointed to see Judith Jack being sold here. The good news, it is not the same Judith Jack you buy in other places. Beauty and value are in the eyes of a beholder.

highhopes2012

05.16.15 3:21 AM

after seeing this thread I checked Bajalia out, they have sure raised the price on this Jewelry. It used to be about the cheapest on HSN. I know it helps the families in 3 world countries but $300 for a necklace? I can get the same thing on E**y for $21 straight from Turkey

ZuzusPetals

05.16.15 3:03 AM

I have spent the last 2 days watching the majority of the video’s for the Bajalia lapis jewelry.

I have been trying to pay attention to what outfits Debbie Farah is wearing & what host she is working with, and are the lapis samples sitting on the table. Reason for checking her outfit is in the event she works with the same host 2ce – 2 different shows.

What I can’t piece together is the order the jewelry items were presented by watching on line videos (per outfit/hsn host). What I am seeing is, with each show, Debbie tells the viewers that the lapis is NOT DYED – NOT TREATED IN ANYWAY – ONLY POLISHED TO GET THE DEEP BLUE COLOR. She has sample hunks of lapis, some raw, some polished. She also has samples of very light color lapis that she says they don’t use.

Item 400-316 appears to be the start of a Bajalia show. Debbie has video of herself in Afghanistan, where starting at 2:04 she says is BUYING lapis, yet later she says they mine their own lapis (confusing). She brings out the lapis samples & talks about them. She says their lapis is not dyed, not treated & that’s what we are putting into this necklace, that’s what we are putting into this piece.

Moving along to item 400-304. This is in the same show as item 400-316 above. In this video Debbie brings out light colored raw lapis chunks strung like a Wilma necklace. This is to show how much lapis is needed to make a bead. There is no mention that the lapis in the necklace is polished only. I think it’s a GIVEN since the POLISHED ONLY samples are still out on display. Item 400-304 on line details says "lapis".

Next item from that show is 182-575, a free form cuff with 13 pieces of lapis. The cuff is moved over by the sample lapis & @ 4:17 Debbie says the lapis in the cuff is NOT DYED, NOT COATED, NOT treated in any way, that’s what makes it authentic Afghanistan lapis.

The details on the website say: Color Enhanced lapis

Clearly this line has both types of lapis. So be up front about it on AIR.

I think when the show starts out with Debbie telling you about the lapis, showing large samples of the rough & telling you there are NO treatments, only polishing, then unless otherwise told, the viewer expects ALL the lapis in that show to be untreated.

If the 4th item shown has been color enhanced, the viewer should be told.

It’s the responsibility of HSN & Debbie to both make sure the viewer is aware & told on air, when a treatment is used.

The majority of the video’s I watched, showing a color enhanced piece, never mention any treatment. But on the same token, I watched at least 1 video of a piece with no treatment, that Debbie forgot to point out.

And for people to say…ALL stones are treated, no big deal… I say WRONG!

If the vendor, in this case Debbie Farah, comes on & each time tells you her lapis is NOT TREATED in any way…..then she should not be selling pieces with color enhanced lapis. That’s pretty simple.

I would like to know what metal is used in the Bajalia line.

Silvertone or Antiqued, textured, matte, tells me very little.

If I’m going to pay $350 for a necklace, I would like to know what metal is used.

SocialButterfly

05.14.15 9:38 PM

I have seen a review before (sorry, I do not remember the name of author) that Bajalia lapis dyed their skin. Overall, it is an interesting line of jewelry. Designs are appealing; base metal is a huge turn off for me personally. I have seen a number of Bajalia pieces in person and so far have not committed to any of them for various reasons.

If the stone is cracked- there’s no turning back. Return it. As far as enhancements- just about all stones nowdays are enhanced. There is no such thing as natural blue topaz…. almost all lapis is enhanced in some ways. If you choose to keep the piece – make sure stone has a metal backing and does not have direct contact with your skin. I prefer unenhanced stones, but they are becoming increasingly rare. HTH

magalene

05.14.15 2:34 PM

Thank you for such great advice and your knowledge of gems is amazing.

I wish they would just stop all the hype in the live/recorded shows and stick with the facts. I like my pieces to be natural /genuine because I can get color dyed, enhanced and fake jewerly from anyway.

Again, Thank you all for your responses.

I will be sending the pendant back because of the crack and the item did sell out. I’m still on the fence about the cuff but really think it too is enhanced which is sad because it isn’t stated as that in the write up.

2d2

05.14.15 2:40 AM

Lapis is often dyed, and/or reconstituted. I agree with Seanchai that if you want a natural/untreated stone, then return it. Unenhanced lapis is difficult to find, and may require gemological inspection to ensure it wasn’t treated, preferably from a reputable laboratory.

Seanchai

05.14.15 2:34 AM

Hi Magalene! I’m so sorry that you received pieces that you are unhappy with and distrustful of. I looked up the items you listed, and according to the website, as you mentioned, both the pendant, 202-587, and the Fila cuff, 202-113 are shown in the item descriptions to contain enhanced lapis.

I also looked up the other cuff, the Anteega, and although it does not state that it is enhanced, I would find it very, very surprising if that were the case. Especially with such a large stone not set in precious metal. However…HSN should be required to list it as enhanced if it is, so…I don’t know on this one. My gut says it has to be enhanced. But..:womanfrustrated:

My suggestion would be to consider how much you like the piece(s) and what it is worth to you. Much of the fashion jewelry sold on HSN and elsewhere sells for far more than the clearance prices on the Bajalia items – would the bracelet make you happy even if the stone was dyed? You are the only one who can really answer that question.

Sadly, unenhanced lapis is becoming harder and harder to find. Not surprising considering the fact that the most reliable source of high quality rough is Afghanistan (not exactly a stable region at present.) So in addition to poor quality lapis being smuggled out of that country and enhanced, many manufacturers are also now using enhanced low-quality lapis from China.

Ultimately, the sad fact is, most gemstones are enhanced in one form or another. This does not mean that they are not *technically* genuine – it just means that they are not all natural and untreated. If you love the piece anyway, got it for a good price, and think you would enjoy wearing it even knowing it was enhanced, then it’s probably worth keeping. If everything in you shudders at the thought of wearing any stone that is not completely natural and untreated – then it’s not worth keeping at any price. Simple as that.

BUT – I agree 100% with the posters who urged you to return any cracked/broken items. Those are never worth keeping. :womanwink:

P.S. Here is a link to the gemstone enhancement post I did earlier if you are interested. Just scroll up for the other two parts.

snowcollector

05.14.15 1:46 AM

magalene, I’m so sorry you received a cracked lapis stone and I wouldn’t hesitate to return it. Hopefully it’s not sold out and you can get a replacement.

heyBooBoo575

05.14.15 12:34 AM

A regular poster and fellow jewelry appreciator, Seanchai, has written an informative 3-part post on gemstone enhancement, which can be found in the thread titled Jewelry Talk…Sparkle and Shine…Take 2! The last of the three posts filed today, 05/13/15 at 5:38 PM, addresses dyed stones.

I agree with TheMemphisVette. I would return a piece containing a cracked stone. First, however, call customer service and tell them you are returning (or exchanging) an order because the item is defective. They will waive the return postage fee. Alternatively, you could contact them here at Customer Service Need Help, but they will reply to send them a Personal Message, and since you’re a visitor, you’re probably not familiar with that routine.

Good luck.

sunshine8075

05.14.15 12:11 AM

I looked at the list of gems, and according to that Lapis is often dyed. I am confused too.

TheMemphisVette

05.14.15 12:02 AM

magaline,…yes some of bajalia lapis is color enhanced. the details of each is on the item page under details. the value of this or devalue is based on what you paid and what you can find for same elsewhere. your decision.

cracked stone,…..i would return.

pookie123

05.13.15 11:45 PM

Hi magalene, it seems the pendant you purchased is color dyed according to the Details section for the item. Go further back a little to a conversation in this section titled "Why all the compressed turquoise, Jay?" It has about 46 replies explaining how HSN is presenting jewelry as all natural, from the ground, untreated on Television and then posting actual information in the Details section on line.

Don’t feel bad, I was duped this weekend. You are not alone, that is for sure.